The state and local community helped a great deal with Goody's infrastructure needs. "They modified one road section for us, a section that would have been very difficult for trucks to get in and out of," Bryant explains. "They worked very well with our general contractor in getting things done in a timely matter. That goes not only for economic development, but for the public utilities and Entergy."
      Though Goody's facility has only been operational for a few months, Bryant feels that it has been a good decision, primarily because of the "quality of people that we've been able to recruit," he notes. "The people in Russellville have a good work ethic, seem to take a great deal of pride and satisfaction in the job that they do, and are just very pleasant."

      Distribution is not the only industry finding success in Arkansas. In the first quarter, a diverse group of industries expanded in the state. Among them were Lockheed Martin, which added 200 jobs; Frito-Lay with 100-plus jobs; Yanoor Corp.'s Burlington Rug had 200 jobs; and Ware Eagle Boats brought 100 new jobs.
      "One component of our economic development strategy is seeking diversity," says Jim Pickens, interim director of the Arkansas Dept. of Economic Development. "We like to call Lockheed Martin and Frito-Lay part of our 'rockets to Ruffles' strategy."
      To further its diversification, the state plans to develop specific strategies for each of the regions. "We're clustering by region based on geographic and topographic diversity," says Pickens. "Arkansas not only has a diversity in our economic base, but in our geography and topography as well."
      The move toward greater diversification is not only paying off in the number of jobs, but the quality of jobs as well. "We're attracting jobs averaging $25,000 to $26,000, compared to the 1999 per capita income of $23,000," Pickens reports. "And the higher-paying, knowledge-based industries accounted for 37 percent of jobs crea ted in the state last year -- with an average annual wage of $36,000."